Floor Statements

Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk. I ask for its first reading.

I now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

I ask unanimous consent the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4912, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 29. I further ask unanimous consent that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved, and the Senate then begin a period of morning business for up to 2 hours with the first 30 minutes under the control of the majority leader or his designee, the next 30 minutes under the control of the Democratic leader or his designee, to be followed by 30 minutes under the control of the majority leader or his designee, and the final 30 minutes under the control of the Democratic leader or his designee; provided further that following morning business, the Senate proceed to S. 3569, the Oman Free Trade Agreement.

Mr. President, today Hank Paulson was confirmed by the Senate to be Secretary of the Treasury. I commend Chairman Grassley and Senator Baucus for expediting this important Cabinet position and I, once again, wish through this body to thank Hank Paulson for his service.

Tomorrow we will consider the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement. Since we do not expect to use all 20 hours that is allowed under the statute, we can anticipate a vote tomorrow afternoon. We will inform Senators as to when that vote will occur once it is scheduled.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendment be agreed to and that the following amendment be the only amendment in order to the pending joint resolution, S.J. Res. 12: Durbin first-degree amendment relating to statutory language. I further ask consent that all debate be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees until 5:30; and further, at that time the Senate proceed to a vote in relation to the Durbin amendment; further that the resolution then be read a third time and the Senate proceed to a vote on passage of S.J. Res. 12, as amended, with no further intervening action or debate; provided further that if all 100 Senators fail to vote on final passage, then the vote be reconsidered and the Senate vote again on final passage on Thursday, June 29, at a time determined by the two leaders.

Without objection.

That is correct, Mr. President. Through the Chair, time has been allocated. The remainder of the time will be allocated between the two of us, and there is nothing in the unanimous consent request that will interfere with that.

Mr. President, just briefly, on our side, because I can tell there is some confusion as to the order, I have Senator Bunning for 10 minutes, Senator Allard for 7 minutes, Senator Warner for 7 minutes, and Senator Thune for 5 minutes.

Mr. President, in a few moments we will be voting on the two amendments, which really follows the good debate we have had since yesterday when we began debate on this flag protection amendment. As I promised early in the year, I brought this joint resolution to the floor this week in part in anticipation of the Fourth of July recess--a time when all of us go back and think about the flag and the enduring ideals of freedom and opportunity that it represents.

It has been 6 years since we have had that debate on this floor. It is something that comes to the House each and every Congress, and they vote on that. So I felt it would be appropriate. Indeed, in listening to the debate--the Constitution issues and the importance of the flag-- I have been very pleased, and I hope that debate reflects passage of the amendment in a few moments.

It is my hope, when we return to our home States next week or later this weekend to celebrate the anniversary of America's independence, we will be able to tell our fellow citizens that we did the right thing here in Congress and voted to give Congress the power to protect the Stars and Stripes.

Americans have so much to be proud of. We enjoy a greater measure of liberty and justice and equality than any other country in human history. Millions upon millions of people have come to these shores seeking a better life, and they have found it here. We are a nation of hopeful, resourceful people who continually strive to live up to our ideals and provide greater and better opportunities for our children. There is one symbol that above all others encapsulates that hope, that freedom, our history and our values, and that is the American flag.

From the time we are schoolchildren, we honor our flag and all it stands for. With our hand over our heart, each morning here in this body, the U.S. Senate, we honor it. In times of crisis, raising those Stars and Stripes has symbolized our unity, our perseverance as a nation, as a people. Whether it is the marine struggling to plant the flag on Iwo Jima or firefighters lifting the flag above the ruins of the World Trade Center, it is that flag which inspires us to great acts of heroism, of courage, of strength.

Unfortunately, however, there are no laws on the books to stop anyone from destroying this cherished symbol. Although the vast majority of Americans--over 80 percent--and all 50 of our State legislatures believe the flag

should be protected, the Federal Government is currently powerless to enforce flag protection laws. That is because in 1989, as we talked about, the Supreme Court, in a 5-to-4 decision, overturned 200 years of precedent and struck down all laws prohibiting flag desecration. As our colleague from Utah just said, it was a one-vote margin, 5 to 4, with five Judges stripping the right of the American people--through their voice, through this body--to protect that flag. It is my hope and really my purpose in bringing that amendment to the floor to reverse this decision, this activist decision, and return to the American people the ability to protect the flag, if they so wish.

So in a few minutes in the Senate, we are going to have a vote to return to the people, through this body, the opportunity to protect the flag. And it is one single, simple sentence:

The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical

desecration of the flag of the United States.

That is what we will be voting on. Key words: ``The Congress shall have the power.'' All 50 States have passed resolutions calling on the Congress to pass a flag amendment. The House passed a constitutional amendment to protect against desecration of the American flag in this Congress and in the last Congress, in the last Congress, in the last Congress, in the last Congress, and in the last Congress, and now it is time for us to do the same. We have failed to muster those two-thirds votes in the past.

Today, we have a new opportunity to change that and to honor the wishes of the American people. We are a Nation founded on principles. Our flag is what binds us to those principles, to one another; it is that physical symbol of our values, liberty, justice, freedom, and independence. It commands our loyalty. To countless people around the world, the red, white, and blue represents the highest of human ideals--freedom.

I know we have heard again and again through the media the whole issue about flag burning being protected as an exercise of free speech. But is defacing a Government building free speech? Do we let our monuments be vandalized? Clearly, the answer is no. I believe that our American flag deserves the same respect. America is the freest country in the world and we have the right to express dissent and persuade fellow citizens of our views. But destroying the very emblem of that freedom is just plain wrong. Countless brave men and women have died defending the flag. It is but a small, humble act for us to defend it.

I will close with the words of our esteemed colleague, Senator Hatch, who has done such a wonderful job in managing this particular bill and a tireless advocate for the amendment. Here are his words:

Whatever our differences of party, race, religion, or

socioeconomic status, the flag reminds us that we are very

much one people, united in a shared destiny, bonded in a

common faith in our Nation and the profound belief in

personal liberty that our Nation protects.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 522, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. President, S. Res. 522, which was just adopted, celebrates the 150th anniversary of the cities of Bristol, TN, and Bristol, VA. Throughout the year, the people of Bristol have celebrated this anniversary, and the adoption of this resolution coincides with a number of exciting local events.

Bristol is a unique city because of the nature of its founding just along the Tennessee and Virginia border in what started out as two separate communities founded along an anticipated railroad route. Through years of give and take and sometimes bitter disputes over that Tennessee-Virginia border, Bristol has developed into a shining example of how hard work, cooperation, partnership, and entrepreneurial spirit can lead to tremendous opportunities and to tremendous economic growth for communities around the country.

What once modestly started as a connecting point between the Virginia and Tennessee railroads has developed into a central crossroad of the country's interstate highway systems.

While many people in the region are known to joke that ``all roads lead to Bristol,'' the city is not only a commercial crossroad, it has also served as a gathering place for musicians from the Appalachian region. Many country music fans know Bristol because of the famous ``Bristol Sessions'' and recognize the city as the birthplace of country music.

Today when people think of NASCAR racing, they think about Bristol. In the early 1960s, it was two Bristol natives who decided to build a racetrack in northeast Tennessee. A little over 40 years later, racing has become America's fastest growing sport, and, indeed, the Bristol Motor Speedway is on the forefront of what is widely known as the ``World's Fastest Half Mile''--I reiterate that cutting edge, the entrepreneurial spirit one finds in Bristol.

In closing, I am pleased to congratulate the twin cities of Bristol for 150 years of cooperation and achievement. With this rich history and cultural heritage, Bristol represents the best of Tennessee and Virginia.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 523, submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed, en bloc, to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 446 and Calendar No. 447.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the bills be read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc, that any statements relating to the bills be printed in the Record, and the consideration of these items appear separately in the Record, without intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 28. I further ask unanimous consent that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved, and the Senate proceed to a period of morning business for up to 2 hours with the first hour under the control of the Democratic leader or his designee and the final hour under the control of the majority leader or his designee.

Mr. President, tomorrow the Finance Committee is expected to report the Oman Free Trade Agreement. That trade agreement is privileged, and we expect to turn to that as soon as it is made available. We hope we do not have to use all of the time allowed under the statute and, therefore, votes would occur tomorrow afternoon.

This week we also have an important Cabinet nomination to address. That nomination is Henry Paulson to be the Secretary of the Treasury, and we will turn to the nomination when it is made available for consideration.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate adjourn until 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. President, I congratulate the two managers of the Defense authorization bill who did a superb job over the last several weeks in overseeing the debate and marching through the amendments on this important legislation. We had some strong disagreements on both sides of the aisle, sometimes within each side of the aisle. We addressed a number of contentious issues. At the end of the day, after debate and amendment, we had overwhelming support for the bill itself.

The debate followed a healthy and productive debate on immigration and border security for the 2 to 3 weeks prior to that, a total of a month prior. We have seen in recent weeks that the Senate is working quite well in terms of having people's views expressed, debated in a dignified way, getting points across, helping become better educated ourselves and educating the American people in the process.

I thank Senators Warner and Levin for their tremendous work in navigating through the challenging issues and bringing Defense authorization to a close in a cooperative manner.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore.

The clerk will call the roll.

Mr. President, we return to session today for a period of morning business to allow Senators to introduce legislation and to make remarks. We will have a relatively short session today, I expect. When we finish, we will adjourn until Monday.

On Monday, we will begin debate on the constitutional amendment relating to antiflag desecration. I will have more to say about the schedule for next week later in the day.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Friday, June 23, 2006, at 1 p.m. to hold a closed briefing on State Department/Defense Department Cooperation Overseas.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.